WSJ: Google preps smart watch, game console, media streamer

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Google is working on a trio of new Android devices. "People familiar with the matter" claim the company has a smart watch, game console, and media-streaming successor to the Nexus Q in the works. At least one of those devices may be finished in the fall, the article says. Additional details are few and far between, though.

Just about everyone is rumored to be working on a smart watch these days, so Google's purported interest is no surprise. The Google watch will apparently interface with smartphones via Bluetooth. However, there's no word on what the device might be capable of on its own.

The Nexus Q successor will reportedly reprise the original's media-player mission, this time with a lower price. The first Nexus Q was decried for its $300 price tag and never reached the market. It was to be made in the US, but the Journal doesn't say whether the new revision will be homegrown, as well. Google may have a hard time reducing costs if it intends to build the machine stateside.

Google's rumored game console may be the most intriguing device of the trio. It's also the one we know the least about. One needs to look no further than the recently launched Ouya to see what an Android-powered console might look like, however. Odds are it'll be small, inexpensive, and have substantially less horsepower than either the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. The thing is, you don't need a lot of grunt to play casual games. The Ouya's $100 asking price is also a heck of a lot less than what Microsoft and Sony will charge for next-gen consoles.

Interestingly, the WSJ says Google plans to loosen its restrictions on the sorts of devices allowed to run the official version of Android. Device makers who want to include all of Google's web services with the OS are limited to smartphones and tablets right now. The next version of Android will reportedly allow "more device types," which could open the door to additional game consoles, media players, and wearable gear.